-
What Jack the Ripper Means to Me
In the fall of 1888, in the Whitechapel area of London, an unidentified assailant murdered and mutilated at least five women. From the first murder to the last, terror gripped the city. Newspapers printed grisly details. Letters were mailed to newspapers and the police, claiming credit for the crimes. These letters were signed “Jack the…
-
God Himself Doesn’t Have to Sink Ships, Humans Handle it Well Enough
When the Titanic launched in 1912, one White Star Line employee noted “God himself could not sink this ship.” At the time, Titanic was the largest, most luxurious cruise liner to hit the seven seas. The White Star Line was a company owned by J.P. Morgan, one of the wealthiest men to ever live. Initially,…
-
The David
The stone hair is soft like his eyelashes, if they too could be carved. He focuses on a white wall— on the psalm he cannot write. He wishes for strands of marble, like spider’s legs, around his staring eyes. Then he may blink Goliath out of the crowd surveilling his flesh. They watch as he…
-
Seventy-Three Rejections Later
When you start a story or a novel or a script, you begin with a sense of hope. You hope that your story will touch hearts and minds. You hope you told the story in a graceful fashion. You hope people will read it, at the very least. And sometimes, you know you wrote a…
-
1903 E Cache La Poudre
AT RISE: Bare florescent light. Stage is mostly black with painted remnants of two or three previous shows painted on the floor and walls. Bare set. STEVE and JENNY are standing center stage, contemplating their surroundings.STEVE: (Indicates bare stage.) Where was your favorite moment performed?JENNY: My favorite moment that I performed?STEVE: Yeah.JENNY: (Walks to spot…
-
The Day the Storm Ends: New Story Published!
I have exciting news. James Gunn’s Ad Astra has just released my short story “The Day the Storm Ends” in their eleventh volume. So if you’re in the mood for some science fiction…please give it a read.
-
Putting the “Art” in Artificial?
Today, The New York Times posted an article about an artist in my neck of the woods. Sorry, if it’s behind a paywall for you—here is what the local paper, The Pueblo Chieftain had to say. The lowdown: The Colorado State Fair recently hosted a digital arts competition. The first-place winner, Jason Allen, used an…
-
Life Imitating Art Imitating Life
When I was seventeen, my boyfriend and I wanted to go see a movie. (I know, shocker.) It had already made it through the “main” theaters and was now at the dollar theater, which—before this night—had never carded me and I’d already seen a couple R-rated films there. But, apparently, someone somewhere had gotten in…
-
Mojave Ravens
December, 2021, I am driving through the Mojave Desert and, despite the beautiful red rocks, despite the vast sense of space, despite the crystal blue sky, I can’t shake the sensation that this is a deadly landscape. It’s winter, so the temperature is reasonable in the middle of the day: 53°. I’m not worried about…
-
3 Points of View in True Crime Documentaries: Criminal, Victim, Detective
I.The criminal, serial killer Danny Rolling, is introduced as a child. Here are his parents—see how poorly they handled him. See how his father disciplined him. See how his father, so strict, a cop, had him arrested. See how his father told him he was never wanted. One morning a boy wakes up and shoots…
Got any book recommendations?